I have been asked, personally, what should happen to the bank robbers of the recent RCBC bank robbery which happened in Laguna Province. And it was hard for me at first, conflicting emotions sometimes does that, but..
I cannot and will not condone anything that resembles a bounty hunter run amok. I cannot and will not condone any extra-judicial killings, and I will not condone the murder of any person, without his or her day in court. It’s all about human rights, and not Godly rights. No one is God, and no one has the right to act like God. No one has the right to be judge jury and executioner at any given time, and to be just that only promotes even more violence.
This post is about those who were massacred in the RCBC bank robbery. It’s an emotional time for many individuals, and even those who didn’t know the victims personally. Because the death of innocent lives, especially how these individuals died, is always a cause for mourning. And even in my anger, I must stop myself, at the point at which I would condone a “simple” retaliatory course of action towards these bank robbers.
Is it eye for an eye? Who has the right to take a human life and who has the right to make that decision? And if taking another human life is the norm, even if it is that of a criminal, then who in the end becomes the righteous? These killers didn’t give a damn when they shot their victims in cold blood, but that’s what makes us different from these evil bastards. Unless we want to make vague the line between these criminals and ourselves, we cannot give in to the natural reaction of taking the same actions on these monsters.
Are we to take the law into our own hands, that death is such an easy task to render upon another individual, that we can just do this and call it a day.
Yes, if we are to now abide by the rule of eye for an eye, where does it all end? When we all become blind?
Damn those who can condone such deaths, in the name of protecting society. If they so wish such a society, then let them be the killers of both the innocent and the guilty. Let the blood of the dead run through their hands, and then let’s ask this question once more.
It is easy to say that death is right for these criminals, but it is different when you yourself have to pull that trigger. It changes a person, from the core, and let’s not delude ourselves, that such killings, does not also change a nation, and a republic.
And I agree with Arbet, on the need to strengthen our justice system. If there is anything that needs to be done, it is not to take justice into our own hands, but maybe to actually let the justice system work, and help it out, and help strengthen it.
This has been my stand even on the extra-judicial killings of activists, media, as well as the NPA themselves. Having first hand experience with the environment of lawlessness that pervades the NPA and military conflict in the province, it seems, that everyone is the loser. The military who loses young and brave soldiers, the NPA members who are foolish enough to have an armed conflict against the military, and the residents of such towns who live in fear of both the NPA and the military. When justice is done on the streets (or jungles), the environment does not shift from violence to peace, it just remains violent.
And this is the sad result of willfully forgoing the courts, that it soon becomes clear, that no one is in control, and that every man for themselves becomes the law of the land. Actions such as killing criminals, outside of the courts, may seem like justice, and it may even bring momentary peace.. But long lasting peace it will never bring. Are we that stupid to think that Robin Hood and his Merry Men shoot bow and arrows, and criminals fall dead.. without blood? Without a community being affected? There are repercussions to such actions, and a crime deterrent it will never be.
I am as angered as any other Filipino in these deaths, in these murders, and may the worst become of these criminals who perpetrated this massacre. But, another long stint of extra-judicial killings for the sake of good, is not in my rulebook.
Blind citizens we will be, when we abide by eye for an eye, until we stop and actually look at the results of such retaliatory actions. Let us mourn, let us be angered, let us strengthen the justice system, and let us bring these scumbags to trial, but let us not stoop to the levels of a murdering society.
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It is the ordinariness of the day and the way it was interrupted by unfathomable violence that lends so much horror to this tragedy.
For me therefore guiding term is reflection.
We need to reflect on things first and regard their place in the bigger scheme instead of delegating thought to those who merely incite at grandiose and unsustainable scales or extents.
Just as I’ve always been disturbed how mudslides and flashfloods that kill thousands in one go quickly get relegated to Page 3 or 4 by the Philippine press within a day or two (in favour of political circuses that stay on Page One for MONTHS at a time), I’ve always been disturbed at how Filipinos have become so accustomed to going through life tolerating, even within their small circles, a society where injustice is DEEPLY INGRAINED into the cultural fabric yet throw tantrums whenever a crime of national proportions is “exposed” by one senator or another.
Well, it’s definitely been a time of reflection for myself with regards to this issue, as I assume it has been for many others.
I don’t doubt that this too will become a page 3 news item, as long as no new developments will become of it. And so, the only way for this to become relevant and remain “news” is for the authorities to actually do their job, and develop leads into this heinous crime.
News, by its very nature, needs new information for it to remain in the front pages. It is however, the choice of the editor to keep any story relevant by highlighting it… As we will definitely do here..
This is why, as in the case of Burgos, we need to encourage family members and others to make noise, and keep in front of the limelight, if only for the rest of The Philippine citizenry to realize that the case is still ongoing and unsolved.
Nick,
The price of justice, if you take the “legal” route, via Police then a Court of Law is massively high— lawyers, expense, not to mention time (years) is no joke. Heck, you need to grease the palm of everybody from the ground up just to ensure you don’t get cheated in your pursuit of justice. It is easy to accept vigilante justice when all it takes is a one time payment to a bounty hunter and problem solved.
The Philippines is like the Wild West.
We have things like “laws” that quite often fall on deaf ears. They can easily be twisted and it happens every day from the most mundane thing to the big things like national scandals. Hell, we made such a mess of that impeachment trial, it hunts us to this day.
Part of me could turn a blind eye if the police should ever find those bastards and I hope those bastards run and fight it out so the police can use their guns but a greater part of me would forever have doubts if those people were really the killers and not fall guys.
The law in the Philippines is such travesty. Wild, wild West, from right out a movie.
Oh, one more thing, you are absolutely right that extra judicial killings have no place in any society much less, a Catholic one. Death penalty for one thing doesn’t work. Seriously, drug pushers, murders— these guys live day in and day out with the threat of death, are we deluding ourselves to think we can scare them with death? A lifetime in our jails, such as they are… is that a fate worst than death?
The suspects had a choice – to commit crime or not. The victims had no choice.
I would rather turn a blind eye on death penalty for the suspects rather than a blind eye and deaf ears for the victims cries and their families anguish. The suspects should not be given any mercy because they refused to give it to the victims. But still, this is just me.